Protect Those Who Protect You
by alaskanbirdfriend
Summary: Jack opens Sam Winchester's eyes. A sequel to Old Secrets Are Like Old Wounds; They Fester. Part 5 of my Speak Of The Devil And He Shall Appear series.
1. Chapter 1

Sam is standing outside right now, staring into the empty air, staring at what looks like nothing, but he sees far from it.

 _He sees flashes of light that look like streaking arms, stretching out to help him from the confines of metal hooks and chains. They're nothing but lightning._

 _He sees giant wings that leave ash everywhere when they move and an afterimage in his eyelids when he blinks._

Sam thinks he's drifting, sometimes, but then he thinks some more and what if, _what if_ _they're just glimpses into reality through a hallucination._

The camp doesn't bother him when he stands there, he's a hulking mass of muscle, _he's obviously guarding us against attack,_ they whisper.

 _They couldn't be further from the truth._

Sam Winchester stands there, silent, and sees the Devil.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack doesn't notice how Sam acts for the first few days. All he hears is Lucifer's words- _no, his_ _ **father's**_ _words, no matter how hard he wants to deny it,_ echoing around in his ears.

He hears, _come on kid, trust me,_ and _I brought Sammy back for you,_ and after that, _hey, you need me, I'm a walking weapon._

So then Jack finally relents, because they do need to win the fight against Michael, and he trusts Lucifer a little bit more.

But still, Jack knows Sam, and this isn't Sam.

Sam shouldn't watch everyone with a wary look in his eyes, shouldn't flinch at every touch he receives, shouldn't stare at his surroundings as if _constantly questioning reality._

 _This Sam appeared after talking with Lucifer._

And so Jack walks up to Sam Winchester, and stands there in silence.

Two souls, one half-grace, and the other, nearly shattered, both glow as bright as the morning sun.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam is distancing himself, he can feel it.

The world is foggy, it's like there's cotton stuffed in his ears, and everything feels _numb_.

But he doesn't want to focus, he doesn't want to go back, because they're all not _real._

And aside from Dean, _his brother, is he even real_ , what hurts the most is Jack.

Jack, who was _pure_ and so _kind_ that he wanted to get Mary back for them, _for Sam_ , who would do anything to prove he wasn't evil, _who never even existed in the first place._

So when he feels Jack walk up next him, his willpower finally breaks. Finally shatters.

 _It's not like his soul hasn't already done that._

Sam turns to face Jack and finally voices the question he hasn't dared to say out loud. The question he's been repeating in his mind every second of his waking hours.

 _The other hours are spent screaming. No time to question anything._

"Are you real?" Sam's voice cracks out as he takes shaky breaths, eyes scanning Jack's face like he's trying to see through it. _Trying to see through it to the bars of the cage._

And then Jack's face pales and his eyes widen, and Sam's scared, _so scared, terrified that Jack's face is going to melt into the Devil's, and then he's finally going to have to face what he's been avoiding this whole time._

But Jack reaches out towards Sam, and rests his hand lightly on Sam's arm, and Sam nearly flinches, _but he trusts Jack, trusts Jack like his own son,_ and this time he stays still.

Jack's eyebrows knit together in horror and concern, and all he whispers is,

"Sam, of course I'm real."

And Jack reaches, _reaches with his grace, and Sam does flinch this time, and Jack's face is crumpling in guilt, but Sam can feel it, he can feel the heavenly-holy-light, so much stronger than Castiel's, because all Sam could feel was grace-cold, and Castiel is no match for the power of the Devil, but the nephil's grace is covering his broken soul with so much purity, so much kindness that he doesn't deserve, but still, there is no possibility that it is Lucifer's, and_ -

Jack lets go, watching Sam's face with worry.

And Sam Winchester takes in a shuddering breath.

 _Takes in the morning air of what he knows is freedom._


End file.
